Two important races highlight local ballot

Published
6:00 am CST, Sunday, November 4, 2018

There’s a lot on Tuesday’s ballot at every level of government, but Jefferson County voters should be especially focused on two contests. The winners can have a big impact on the county’s future, and voters should not miss an opportunity to support the better outcome:

— The county judge contest pits Republican incumbent Jeff Branick against Democratic challenger Nick Lampson, and both candidates are strong. The county tax rate has remained level on Branick’s watch and oil companies have invested billions in plant expansions and pipelines. Those are clear positives, but Lampson brings a compelling sense of energy to this race.

Unlike most other politicians, he is openly acknowledging this county’s inability to grow in population while the rest of the state booms. That’s because too many of our young people leave the region because we don’t have the kinds of varied jobs they want. Lampson wants to do something about that instead of waiting for another industrial project to drop into our lap.

Tied in with that challenge is Lampson’s focus on the lingering damage from Harvey. It displaced residents and damaged homes, and both of those factors mean fewer people are here at census time. Lampson wants more urgency directed to these challenges and better preparation for the next hurricane or flood.

Overall, he projects enthusiasm and change instead of business-as-usual. The county is not in bad shape now, but Lampson deserves a chance to prove that he can make it better.

— Donald Floyd is retiring as judge in the 172nd District Court, and Republican Mitch Templeton and Democrat Melody Chappell want to replace him. Both are experienced attorneys who know their way around a courtroom and a law library. If this were a contest of legal skills, voters could basically flip a coin and come out OK either way.

But there is an elephant in the room here that cannot be ignored, and that is Chappell’s previous service as attorney to the disgraced Beaumont ISD board of trustees.

She could have done so much more to encourage that board to be responsible and transparent at key times. Instead, she and others enabled their dysfunction, leading to the extreme embarrassment of a state takeover.

That record is a huge roadblock to any other kind of public service, especially the immense responsibilities of a district judge. On top of everything, Templeton was appointed to the BISD board of managers, where he has served admirably, cleaning up the mess that Chappell and others created.